Documenting a Process - Importance and Its Benefits
While improving business processes, it is essential that one document the process as well as any improvements made to it. Most consultants will document both the As-Is Process as well as the To-Be Process. While many think about it as customary and do it for the same reasons, there are other important reasons to document the process. Documenting helps the organization gain long term primary and secondary benefits which have been listed below:
Why Is It Important?
The following are the primary benefits that any organization seeks to gain by explicitly documenting their processes:
Secondary Benefits
Apart from the apparent primary benefits which directly aid in the day to day operations of the firm, there are certain secondary benefits which help the firm analyse and improve its process continuously. Here is how documentation aids in this:
Available For Analysis:When process changes are documented in a detailed manner, they are available for analysis as and when required. This helps the management in understanding the knowledge that was used in designing the best practises that are currently followed. This also helps the management decide whether the best practises followed are indeed relevant in the environment they are operating in and saves them from expensive requirement gathering by consultants where they are billed for by the hour.
Can Be Compared Version To Version:With detailed documentation in place, process improvements can be tracked version to version. This means that the management will have the previous 3 to 4 processes and their performance along with the current process and performance. They can thus see them together and see what changes are producing what results. This will tell them what they are successful at and they can continue doing so.
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